Starbreeze signs Publishing deal for PAYDAY: Crime War with Universal Games and Digital Platforms

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (February 5, 2019) Starbreeze AB, an independent creator, publisher and distributor of games, today announced that its subsidiary, Starbreeze Production AB, has signed a binding term sheet for a five-year distribution deal with Universal Games and Digital Platforms for its mobile title PAYDAY: Crime War. 

Under the agreement, Starbreeze will receive a 1.5 MUSD advance payment upon signing, and Universal Games and Digital Platforms will cover certain costs for continued development, marketing, live operations and user acquisition with respect to the game. Upon worldwide launch, if any, Universal Games and Digital Platforms will pay an additional instalment of an advance/guarantee and thereafter will recoup its costs, after which Starbreeze will retain a revenue share equivalent to PC and console publishing deals on sales of the game. Starbreeze retains all IP rights for the title. 

“PAYDAY is in the core of our business and we’re happy to find a great partner in Universal Games and Digital Platforms to help realize the mobile title PAYDAY: Crime War in the expansive way it deserves. There has been good traction in our open beta last year and we will continue to further develop and tune the title for its release together with Universal,” said Mikael Nermark, Starbreeze Acting CEO. 

“We’ve spent nearly two years building a trusted games team with proven expertise in all aspects of mobile game publishing,” said Chris Heatherly, Executive Vice President of Games and Digital Platforms, Universal Brand Development. “With the addition of PAYDAY: Crime Warto our game slate, we can help Starbreeze bring a fresh, new experience to PAYDAYfans on mobile, the largest gaming platform in the world.” 

The project will jointly be evaluated during the next six months, where after Universal Games and Digital Platformshas the option to fully exit the agreement if certain KPI’s are not met.

The parties will work together to establish the new global release timeframe which is estimated for 2019.

About PAYDAY 

First launched in 2011, PAYDAY is a cooperative first-person shooter computer and video game franchise with more than 17 million units sold on PC, SteamOS, PlayStation™ 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation™ 4, Xbox One and the Nintendo™ Switch system. With more than 5.8 million community members on the main PC digital distribution platform Steam, PAYDAY 2 have had more than 170 paid and free updates since its release in 2013.

PAYDAY 2 in VR is also available for existing owners of PAYDAY 2 on Steam for the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift headsets.

For more information, please contact: 

Pia Rosin, Interim Head of Investor Relations 

Tel: +46(0)8-209 208, email: ir@starbreeze.com

This information is information that Starbreeze AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 17:30 CET on February 5, 2019. 

About Starbreeze

Starbreeze is an independent developer, creator, Publisher and Distributor of PC and console games aimed at the global market, with studios in Stockholm, Barcelona, Bangalore and Dehradun. Housing the smash hit IP PAYDAY, Starbreeze develops games based on proprietary and third-party rights, both in-house and in partnership with external game developers. Starbreeze shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm under the tickers STAR A and STAR B with the ISIN-codes SE0007158928 (A share) and SE0005992831 (B share). Starbreeze announced via a press release on December 3, 2018 that the company, including certain subsidiaries, entered into reconstruction. For more information, please visit starbreeze.com

About Universal Games and Digital Platforms

Universal’s Games and Digital Platforms group leverages the vast portfolio of IP and characters from NBCUniversal. The Games and Digital Platforms group is a business unit of Universal Brand Development, which is chartered with globally expanding the company's intellectual properties, franchises, characters and stories through innovative physical and digital products, content and consumer experiences. The company's extensive portfolio includes properties created by Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment, DreamWorks Animation, and NBCUniversal cable and television. Universal Brand Development (www.universalbranddevelopment.com) is a business segment of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, and part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.